The incomparable Dionne Warwick takes us back to her days as a background singer

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Dionne Warwick is an award-winning singer best known for her hits "Walk On By," "Alfie," "I Say A Little Prayer" and "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," second only to Aretha Franklin as the most charted female singer of all time. The singer told Start TV how she stepped out from being a background singer to climb to the top of Billboard's charts: “Nobody appreciates you if you don’t take ownership of what you’re doing.”

Back in the beginning, Warwick was lucky to count incredible singers like Aretha Franklin and Lena Horne as her mentors. They did more than just show her the ropes, they also showed her how to stay true while getting big. She told Start TV that Horne gave her the same advice her mother always did, "Always be who you are."

Watch Dionne Warwick discuss her earliest influences:

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